NEWS: Fall Fest Reimagined: Mario, not Movies

by Caroline Cramer ’22 and Arnav Reddy ’22

October 14, 2019

Fall is in the air, though with 90-degree weather. Nashville residents are getting their favorite pumpkin spice food; lower schoolers are going on field trips to see the leaves change colors; middle schoolers are having their biannual Parent-teacher conferences; early Fall sports are coming to an end, and Fall Fest and Fall Book Frenzy returned for everyone to replenish their supply of books.

Fall Fest and Fall Book Frenzy have brought together the entire USN community in years past with carnival games, food, face painting, and a movie night. However, this year, changes have been implemented by the directors of Fall Fest, which were met with mixed reactions.

This year, Fall Fest introduced Karaoke, a Mario Kart Competition, a new start time, and a new format for booths.

On the morning of Fall Fest, Lower Schoolers couldn’t contain their excitement for the night.

“I like getting my face painted, and any game that they have,” said second-grader Magnolia. 

Lower schooler Reese ‘30 was looking forward to getting books from Fall Book Frenzy, the used books and media sale that runs in tandem with the Fest. 

Lower schoolers were ecstatic about every aspect of Fall Fest: the food, entertainment, games, and books.

High School teacher Camille Sutton said that she really likes the earlier start to Fall Fest. 

In years past, “We used to have to wait around, and that had a bad impact on our momentum,” she added.

The time shift allowed for students in after school to go straight to Fall Fest when picked up.

Eighth Grader Jessica Pennilton is very excited about the Mario Kart competition, which replaced the classic movie night with a competitive atmosphere that spans all grade levels.

Middle Schoolers Kari-Belle King ‘24 and Alice Frein ‘24 hoped to get their nails done and face painted, but the main reason for their excitement for Fall Fest was the social tension that arises every year.

However, not all Middle Schoolers were excited for Fall Fest.

Benjamin Kampine ‘24 said that “it’s boring” and that “there is nothing to do.” 

Fellow eighth-grader Alexander Clinton agreed that “the games are fun when you are young, but when you get older, they’re kind of boring,” but also pointed out that there are plenty of other activities at Fall Fest to keep him engaged and occupied. 

Some high schoolers also share Kampine’s concern. There is a perception in the high school that Fall Fest is targeted towards lower schoolers. For example, one high schooler said that they stopped having fun after middle school and another told his mom that he was no longer going the Fall Fest after his friends told him that it was lame and only for lower schoolers. 

High schoolers who were new to USN their freshmen year didn’t seem to have an idea of what Fall Fest is, since, other than the posters, the only form of advertising for Fall Fest is the Tigers on Edgehill email.

Sophomore Michael Kim said, “I don’t know what Fall Fest is.” 

His classmate, RJ Gilliland, shared a similar take, saying that “[USNA] doesn’t really talk about it. They just put up posters.”

However, high schoolers who have been at USN for some time have a different opinion. 

“Lots of freshmen enjoy Fall Fest,” said Freshman Jacob Rothman. “They’re going to hang out with friends.” 

For many high schoolers, Fall Fest is a night for being with friends and eating food instead of participating in the activities and games. 

After Fall Fest, USNA president Kobie Pretorius, and step-up-presidents Joanna Hall and Anna Cramer were delighted with how the night went.

“I have never seen so many people at Fall Fest,” said Pretorius. “I have never seen so many high schoolers at Fall Fest.”

Like Sutton, Pretorius thinks that the change in time was the main factor for the increase in numbers. Unlike prior years, families did not go home before Fall Fest. Instead, they picked up their kids and then went straight to the backfield to enjoy the night. 

USNA acknowledged the Middle School Drum Circle for showing up on short notice during their parent-teacher conference break to add a live percussion show, as well as teachers Christy Plummer, Victoria Roca, Ed Haggard, Harrison Nam, and Juliet Douglas, who all volunteered.

USNA also replaced the annual movie showing with the Mario Kart competition in an attempt to increase the high school attendance. Although the high school division only consisted of four players, they seemed to have appreciated the change.

“I only had one high school kid ask ‘Where is the movie playing?’” said Pretorius. “It sounded like most everybody didn’t even miss the movie.”

The limited options for movies and the expensive licensing fee were much more burdensome than the relatively cheap and easy Mario Kart competition, which only needed two Nintendo Switches, which were donated by two families for the night. 

USNA emphasized that Fall Fest would not have been possible without the Operations department, who worked behind the scenes to make sure that the night ran smoothly, and fixed any technical issues with the tournament.

Hall hopes to make the Mario Kart “more streamlined and just easier on the volunteers and the kids” for future years. By the look of it, Mario Kart is here to stay. 

Another subtle yet important change for the high school was the new booth format, which allowed high school clubs, teams, and organizations a free space to sell food and items. This is not a big change for many clubs, but it came as a difference to the Community Service Club. 

In years past, the USNA rented a Snow-Cone machine, ice, and syrup for the Community Service Club to sell, and compensated the club for providing a certain amount of volunteers. This year, however, all of the clubs had the same rules and opportunities to further the endeavors of their organizations.

“There are a lot of opportunities right there to come in, be a part of Fall Fest, and make money,” said Pretorius. 

Many groups took advantage of this offer. Whether it was scarves from the hockey team or ice-cream sundaes from the tenth-grade student council, high school booths became a centra`l part of Fall Fest. 

Pretorius said, “if I could set up 15 tables for groups doing their own thing, I would be so happy.”